Roller-skate.



W. LEN N 0X. ROLLER SKATE. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 15. 1909.

Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

WILLIAM LENNOX, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

ROLLER-SKATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. '7, 1909.

Application filed. May 15, 1909. Serial No. 496,193.

To all whom it may concern:

7 Be it known that I, WILLIAM LENNOX, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Roller- Skates; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an improved skate that is adapted to have its speed accelerated by the weight of the skater. The foot-plate of the skate is pivotally suspended on the shafts of the wheels, and when they swing forward, a rack operates a pinion to increase the speed of the skate and also make its thrust forward easier for the skater.

The device also consists of means for limiting the movement of the foot-plate downward and forward, and also provides for operating a band-brake when the foot is thrown backward on the links that support the foot-plate.

The invention further consists in means for holding the rack out of engagement with the pinion when the foot-plate is thrown forward and is at or near its lowest point of travel.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which-- Figure 1 is a side view of the skate with the foot-plate in its raised position, and Fig. 2 is a similar view with a foot-plate after it is depressed. Fig. 3 is a section on line 8, 8, in Fig. 1.

The skate consists of supporting plates 10 which are formed with perforated cars 11, and through these cars pass the axles 12 of the wheels 13 and 14. On the axle 12 of the front wheel is arranged a swinging bracket 15 which preferably consists of a pair of arms arranged on each side of the front wheel 14 to give the skate a better balance, the bracket 15 being pivoted at 16 to the front part of the foot-plate 17. A swinging bracket 18, which is also preferably formed of a pair of arms, is arranged on the shaft of the rear wheel 14 and is pivotally connected, as at 19, to the foot-plate 17 the foot-plate having clamping fingers 20 suitably disposed and with any usual form of actuating means 21. Pivotally supported on the foot-plate near the rear thereof and preferably on the pivotal connection between the rear bracket 18 and the footplate, is a rack 22 which is preferably slightly curved and is equipped with the teeth 23 that are adapted to actuate a pinion 24 of any type, but preferably made of the pins as shown 1n the drawing, the pinion being secured to the front wheel. It will be seen that a pressure downward and forward on the foot-plate will cause the bracket to swing forward, the rack to be thrown forward and the pinion to be operated to make the thrust of the skate easy.

When the skate is nearly down to its lowest limit of movement, the teeth 23 are discontinued at the point where the rack is above the pinion and the rack is held away from the pinion by means of the flange 25 resting on the pin 26 that is fastened to the bracket 27 which is in turn fastened to the shaft of the skate, or to any part of the structure that will insure its stability. This prevents clattering when the skate is being propelled forward. Suitable co-acting lugs 28 and 29, on the foot-plate and on the brackets, act to limit the movement of the foot-plate and the brackets. Secured to the supporting plate and adjacent to the rear wheel is a brakeband 30 which normally has spring action enough to hold it clear of the brake-disk 31, and it is provided with a hook or other engaging means 32 on its free end. The hook or engaging means is placed so that when the brackets 16 and 18 are pressed slightly backward, the pin 33 on the extension 3 10f the bracket 18 will cause the brakeband to engage the brake-disk on its periphery, and in this way the skate will be stopped.

This construction is simple and at the sametime is cheap, and embodies a structure that is operative and one that is calculated to make skating easy and rapid. v

The brake-band is made of stiff material and acts as a stop to the backward movement of the foot-plate, but on an excess pressure backward on the foot-plate the braking action begins.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A roller skate comprising a support with wheels thereon, a foot-plate, a connection between the foot-plate andthe wheels to operate the wheels, and means for mounting the foot-plate so that it is adapted to swing forward and downward to operate said connection.

2. A roller skate comprising a support with wheels thereon, a foot-plate, a connection between the foot-plate and the Wheels to operate the wheels, and means for mounting the foot-plate so that it is adapted to swing forward and downward and parallel with the ground at all points of its travel, said downward swing serving to operate said connection.

3. A roller skate comprising a support with wheels thereon, a foot-plate, a connection between the foot-plate and the wheels to operate the wheels, means for mounting the foot-plate so that it is adapted to swing for ward and downward to operate said connection, and means for limiting the downward movement of the footplate.

4. A roller skate comprising a support with wheels thereon, a foot-plate, a connection between the foot-plate and the wheels to operate the wheels, means for mounting the foot-plate so that it is adapted to swing forward and downward and in parallel relation with the ground at all points in its movement, and means for limiting the downward inovement of the foot-plate.

5. A roller skate comprising a support with wheels thereon, a pair of brackets arranged in parallel relation and pivoted to the support, a foot-plate pivoted to the brackets and adapted to swing toward the ground and parallel therewith, and means connecting the foot-plate and one of the wheels for operating the wheel on the descent of the foot-plate said means being inoperative on the ascent of the foot-plate.

A roller skate comprising a support with wheels thereon, a foot-plate, means for mounting the foot-plate on the support so that the foot-plate can swing downward and forward, means adapted to operate the wheels when the foot-plate moves downward, and means for holding the operating means out of engagement with the wheel when the foot-plate is at its lowest point of travel.

7, A roller skate comprising a support with wheels thereon, a footplate, a pair of brackets arranged in parallel relation and pivoted on the support and supporting the foot-plate on their outer ends, a pinion on one wheel, a rack secured to the foot-plate and acting to operate the pinion, the footplate being adapted to swing on the brackets forward and downward to operate the rack and being adapted to remain parallel'with the ground at all points in its travel, and means for limiting the downward movement of the foot-plate.

8. A roller skate comprising a support,

axles in the support, wheels on the axles,

brackets pivoted to the axles, a foot-plate pivoted to the brackets, a rack pivoted on one end to the foot-plate, and a pinion on one of the wheels with which the rack is adapted to engage, the brackets being adapted to move the foot-plate forward and downward to operate the wheel by means of the rack and pinion, the rack being inoperative on the upward movement of the footplate.

9. A roller skate comprising a support, axles in the support, wheels on the axles, brackets pivoted to the axles, a foot-plate pivoted to the brackets, a rack pivoted on one end to the foot-plate, a pinion on one of the wheels with which the rack is adapted to engage, the brackets being adapted to move the foot-plate forward and downward to operate the wheel by means of the rack and pinion, the rack being inoperative on the upward movement of the footplate, and means for holding the rack out of engagement with the pinion when the foot-plate is at its downward limit of movement.

10. A roller skate comprising a support, axles in the support, wheels on the axles, brackets pivoted to the axles, a foot-plate pivoted to the brackets, a rack pivoted on one end to the foot-plate, a pinion on one of the wheels with which the rack is adapted to engage, the brackets being adapted to move the foot-plate forward and downward to operate the wheel, the rack being inoperative on the upward movement of the footplate, a plate rigidly arranged, a pin on the plate, and a flange on the rack adapted to ride on the pin to hold the rack out of engagement with the pinion.

11. A roller skate comprising a support, axles in the support, wheels on the axles, brackets secured at their lower ends to the axles and adapted to swing thereon, the brackets being of equal length, a foot-plate pivotally secured to the free ends of the brackets, a pinion on one of the wheels, a rack pivotally secured to the foot-plate and adapted to co-act with the pinion on its downward movement to operate the pinion and being inoperative on its upward movement, means for maintaining the rack out of operative engagement with the pinion when the foot-plate is at its lowest limit of movement, and lugs on the brackets adapted to' engage the foot-plate to limit the downward movement of the foot-plate.

12. A roller skate comprising a support, brackets arranged to swing thereon, a footplate hinged to the brackets, a connection between the foot-plate and the wheels to operate the wheels when the foot-plate is swung forward and downi'vard, a brake, and means for operating the brake when the footplate is swung backward.

13. A roller skate comprising a support. brackets arranged to swing thereon, a footplate hinged to the brackets, a connection bean excess backward pressure on the foottween the foot-plate and the wheels to operplate.

ate the wheels when the foot-plate is swung In testimony, that I claim the foregoing, forward and downward, a brake-disk on one I have hereunto set my hand this 14th day wheel, a brzlikeilbagd secu'ed to the support of May 1909.

and normal e1 out 0 en a ement with the brake-dis k, and means 150% e hgaging the WILLIAM LENNOX' brake-band by one of the brackets to form Witnesses:

a stop for the backward movement of the VALENTINE BONBAY,

10 footp1ate and adapted to act as a brake on CLEMENT OAMBINSKY. 

